Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-01-07
w. c. r U.
This Column is e lited aadcrthe Direction
of The W. @. r. Union ofPerrysbarg. ]
COMMON SENSE POLirIcs.
10 he Eiiior of The Pioneer;

10 he Eiitor of The Pioneer:
Christians are told to bo ready to give
q reason for the faith that is in them
1t seems W ne that the followers of ny
political party on sht to be equally ready
to give a reason for their adherence to
that parry. If one can give good rea
son for it, would not the tins be well
spent in considering whether he is in
the right place or not wish frst
show why do not belong to either of
the old parties The Democratic party
is the older. 1t has proluccd many
great men who have served their coun-
try well. jackson put down the frs
attempt of State to defy the authority
of tho Nation, and IL has many other
claims to former usefulness. But the
great ques ion with me now is, What is
it doing now.2 1t claims to be the cham
pion of Civil Service Reform but when
s ee leading members introducing bills
into Congress that would practically
undo what has been done in that direct
on, can / trust 1t One section of the
party desires free-trade, while the ether
calls for protection. On the great flnan-
eial question it is divided. What is its
stand on the labor question? In the
great struggle between the home and
the saloon, it arrayed itself, in the last
National Convention, on the side of sa-
LOOM Thus find the Democratic party
on the wrong side OF the most important
question of the day, and afraid to take
definite stand on any other. This is
why am not Democrat. The Repub
lican party performed a noble mission
in freeing us from the infamy of slavery.
Under the leadership of Lincoln it won
an undying fame. But slavery has gone
never to return. We know it is not
very actively in favor of Civil-Service
Reform. The Republican party is gen
orally believed to be in favor of protect
ion, but one wing of it desires more pro
lection, while the other wishes grad
ual decrease toward tariff for-revenue-
only basis 1t dares to give no promise
of freeing the country from paying trib-
ute to the great silver kings. 1t has
done much for monopoly. This party
proposes to heavily tax the drink-traffic,
and thus make it respectable, AS a re-
suit of this review, we see that neither
of the old parties can be trusted to ac-
complish any great reform. They are
composed of SO many different and op-
posing elements that they dare not take
any decisive stand for fear of alternating
some one of them. Power is their great
object, and they are SO nearly evenly
balanced that they dare not offend any
of these elements. Hence it is folly to
expect them to make any great sacrifice
of voters for principle. A vote for a
party is an expression of approval of its
principles and actions. So every vote
cast for party is so much encourage
ment to its leaders to continue their
present policy. If man votes with a
party whose actions he does not approve,
he wrongs both himself and his fellow
countrymen by allowing himself to be
misunderstood, and his influence to go
against his convictions. We owe it to
our country to give it the benefit of our
best thoughts in regard to public affairs.
The Prohibition party has at least one
principle upon which it is firmly united
the extirpation of the drink-demon.
This is the question that, more than any
other, is before the American people.
That more is being said and written on
this question than on all others, is the
best proof of this statement. Because
the Prohibition party is the only party
that takes what consider a right stand
on this question, is the reason / am n
Prohibitionisi. When the drink-traffic
is crushed, the first great step toward
the solution of the labor problem will
have been taken. The saloon is the
great riot breeder that is responsible for
the destruction of so much property and
the theifthat steals so much of the wages
of labor. When this criminal is SEN.
fenced before the bar of an aroused pub.
lie sentiment, labor and capital will enter
upon new era of prosperity. That the
Prohibition party will take as good a
stand on other important questions as
the old parties, feel assured. If it re-
fuses to adopt what deem the right
policy on the most important issues
after this great reform is assured as it
will be in the not very remote future, /
shall be ready 10 join any party that
will. EDWARD ALpRiCH.
Ros mond, Ill.